Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) are engaging with 50 major Japanese beef buyers in Tokyo today (Thursday), building on the positive outcome of last week's trade agreement between the EU and Japan.
Earlier this year Bord Bia won the €3.75 million contract to promote EU beef and lamb in Japan, China and Hong Kong and will today show Japanese buyers the value of sourcing sustainably produced beef and lamb from the European Union where a premium is placed on high standards of food safety, quality assurance and traceability.
Bord Bia's roles as leader of the promotion campaign and driver of Ireland's Origin Green programme ensures that it is best placed to demonstrate, with tangible examples, how our farmers and food industry are delivering on sustainable food production to the benefit of food buyers in Japan who are seeking a point of differentiation in response to the growing consumer demand for sustainably produced products.
Bord Bia CEO, Tara McCarthy, re-affirmed Ireland's commitment to the Japanese market and welcomed the positive trading environment brought about by last week's agreement: "Ireland's success earlier this year in winning the tender to lead the EU beef and lamb promotion campaign in Asia demonstrated our commitment to the Japanese market. Today's engagement with 50 beef buyers, one week after the signing of the EU/Japan trade agreement provides us with an early opportunity to capitalise on this new business relationship as both sides work to eliminate trading barriers. Bord Bia long recognised the value of the Japanese beef market for primal cuts and high value offals such as tongue and welcomed the Department's success in regaining access in 2013. Since then we have worked with exporters to develop the market which has grown four-fold to reach €7m.last year; proof that Japanese buyers trust our reputation as a supplier of safe, secure and sustainably produced beef. We have identified scope for further growth with our unique Origin Green offering in a market where beef self- sufficiency is just 40% and the consumer places a premium on sustainably produced food."
The Event
Bord Bia and the Department partnered with key Japanese importer Sumikin Busan to target the beef buyers for the event which took place at the residence of the Irish Ambassador to Japan with representatives of Irish industry in attendance. The beef buyers received expert presentations from Mr. Joe Burke, Bord Bia Sector Manager for Beef and Livestock, and Mr. Kilian Unger, Superintending Veterinary Inspector at the Department. The Japanese buyers also had an opportunity to taste a range of beef cuts in traditional European and Japanese dishes.
This seminar was the second major promotion in the Japanese market by Bord Bia as part of the "Enjoy – it's from Europe" EU beef and lamb campaign. In March this year Bord Bia participated at FOODEX Japan, a key trade fair which attracted over 80,000 Japanese food buyers, importers, processors, retailers, restaurateurs and chefs.
Bord Bia will continue its EU beef and lamb promotion campaign in Asia this year with events in Hong Kong and China. In addition Bord Bia will host Asian meat buyers and food media in Ireland who will see at first hand the benefits that the Origin Green food sustainability programme can bring to their customer relationships when they choose Ireland as their supply source.
Irish Exports to Japan
Ireland regained market access for beef to Japan in 2013 and exports of beef and offal have increased four-fold since then to €7m last year. The Japanese market is only 40% self-sufficient in beef with imports of 68,000 tonnes of beef offals in 2016. The value of Irish food exports to Japan has grown from €36m in 2012 to €55m in 2016, with increased trade recorded across a wide range of categories including dairy, pigmeat, seafood, beef and beverages.
EU Beef and Lamb campaign
Bord Bia secured EU funding towards a €3.75m promotional campaign for EU beef and lamb across Asia. For the next three years, the programme will have an annual budget of €1.25m per year, including 80% support from the EU. It will seek to communicate the unique selling points of EU beef and lamb to Asian customers and media outlets. Bord Bia will host a total of four technical trade seminars in Asia as part of the 2017-2019 ‘EU Beef and Lamb – Excellence in Food Safety & Sustainability’. The scope of the technical presentations will focus on Food Safety Controls in the EU and sustainable beef production.
Forthcoming events include;
- 14th Sept: EU Beef & Lamb Trade Seminar, Hong Kong
- 17th – 29th Sept: 20 Chinese Interns will travel into Ireland on a two week Knowledge Transfer study visit
- 19th – 21st Sept: Bord Bia will exhibit at the Food, Meat & Aquatic Exhibition (FMA), Guangzhou under the “EU Beef & Lamb – Excellence in Food Safety & Sustainability” banner.
- 9th – 13th Oct (TBC): Ten Chinese and Hong Kong importers and media will travel to Ireland on a five day inward study visit
- 18th – 20th Oct: Bord Bia will exhibit at the China International Meat Industry Exhibition (CIMIE), Beijing under the “EU Beef & Lamb – Excellence in Food Safety & Sustainability” banner.